Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia will sign an agreement with Germany to export more than 100 Australian-made Boxer armed carriers to the German
military. This deal marks one of Australia's largest defense export agreements and demonstrates the global demand for military equipment due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Boxer armed carriers are being produced by German defense contractor Rheinmetall in Queensland, Australia, as part of a contract to supply 211 vehicles to the Australian military. The manufacturing of these vehicles has already created 1,000 jobs over a decade in Queensland.
Prime Minister Albanese stated that the export of over 100 Boxer armed carriers to Germany will ensure the preservation of the 1,000 jobs in Queensland and bring significant economic benefits to Australia, estimated at over A$1 billion (approximately $666 million).
The official signing of the agreement will take place between Prime Minister Albanese and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting in Berlin. The deal highlights the strengthening defense and trade ties between the two nations.
In addition to this agreement, Prime Minister Albanese will attend the NATO summit in Lithuania as part of the Indo-Pacific Four partnership, which includes Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. Australia, having been a NATO partner since 2014, has agreed to a new three-year partnership program aimed at maintaining military interoperability and cooperation in various areas such as capability development, scientific research, non-proliferation, and cyber defense.
The agreement emphasizes the mutual respect for the rules-based international order and reflects Australia's commitment to global security and cooperation. Photo by Graham Robson-Parker, Wikimedia commons.